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Key words: Complex systems; Morphogenesis; Biophilia; Fracal geometry; The most exciting scientific developments of the past decade, such as fractals, complexity theory, evolutionary biology, and artificial intelligence give us an idea of how human beings interact with their environment. Organisms, computer programs, buildings, neighborhoods, and cities share the same general rules governing a complex hierarchical system. All matter -- biological as well as inanimate -- organizes itself into coh../More

/BackKey words: Complex systems; Morphogenesis; Biophilia; Fracal geometry; The most exciting scientific developments of the past decade, such as fractals, complexity theory, evolutionary biology, and artificial intelligence give us an idea of how human beings interact with their environment. Organisms, computer programs, buildings, neighborhoods, and cities share the same general rules governing a complex hierarchical system. All matter -- biological as well as inanimate -- organizes itself into coherent structures. The human mind has evolved in order to adapt to complex patterns in the natural world, so the patterns we perceive around us influence our internal function as human beings.A new, human-oriented architecture follows ideas by Christopher Alexander, combining the best qualities of traditional architecture with the latest technological and scientific advances. The greatest architecture is complex and coherent; but neither random, nor simplistic. By understanding how to generate "life" in built structures, we can drastically improve the way buildings and cities relate to people.